Town halls have succeeded in turning around the lives of 14,000 of England's most troubled families, Eric Pickles has said.

The troubled families scheme was set up after the 2011 riots and is designed to target 120,000 "at risk" families. Credit: PA

The Communities and Local Government Secretary said latest figures showed local authorities were working with 50,000 families to reduce youth crime and truancy or help get adults back on the path to work - up from 35,000 in March.

Another 30,000 had been identified as being in need of the intense assistance.

It follows the Prime Minister's pledge to allocate £448 million to turn around the lives of the UK's 120,000 most troubled families, following the 2011 riots which swept London and other English cities.